Gregg Wallace is a presenter, writer, and former greengrocer, known for hosting MasterChef, Inside the Factory and Eat Well For Less. We found out more about his values and impressive weight loss.
"The rule I live my life by is: 'Make friends with everybody whether you like them or not.' I do my best to get on with everybody," says Gregg. "You can’t get from where I was to where I am without the co-operation of many people. You may never need a favour from somebody, but if you do, the chances are you’ll get it if they like you. The people that really know you inside out, that you can honestly be yourself with… you’re not going to have very many of those friends. A couple is more than enough."
Gregg's inspirational weight loss
"When it comes to health and fitness, you’re not supposed to live like a nun – that isn’t going to work. Everybody starts a new exercise or diet regime with enthusiasm and gets really down on themselves the day it goes wrong. It’s good enough to be good most of the time."
Gregg has jokingly referred to himself as "just the fat, bald bloke on MasterChef who likes pudding". But he's actually been taking very good care of himself recently, advocating National Fitness Day on social media.
Previously weighing in at around 16 and a half stone at his heaviest, the MasterChef judge credits his weight thanks to a diet plan combination of cutting down on fatty, sugary foods and ‘retraining his tastebuds’ in order to enjoy healthier meals.
Gregg on being a parent
"You’re a much better parent when you’re older. I’m more patient with my one-year-old Sid. I was a single parent – I got custody of Tom (now 26) and Libby (23) when they were ten and eight.
"You work really hard to make sure your children don’t suffer the same insecurities you did. Then, they go off and develop a whole new set of insecurities you didn’t even know existed. They’re like balloons – you squeeze one bit and another bit pops out in a different direction. I also learned it comes to a point where telling off isn’t going to work any more. The best you can hope is they’ll come to you with a problem."
If you're struggling, speak up
John Torode [Gregg’s MasterChef co-host] and Gregg recently appeared on Loose Women, talking about the importance of mental health, about how they talk to each other about mental health and think it's really important for men to feel comfortable enough to open up to their friends. The culinary twosome also revealed more about the latest series of MasterChef, which first appeared on our screens in 1990.
A good work ethic
"John taught me a brilliant lesson. He was talking about restaurants, but it applies to life. “Lower people’s expectations and then deliver above…” That’s a work of such genius. It might be the best advice I’ve ever been given. I’ve also learned to do everything as well as you can because you don’t know who’s watching. If you’ve made a decision to be somewhere or do something, do it with good grace. If you don’t like it, don’t go there again, but don’t play up."
"I learnt home bookkeeping from my mum at a very early age – she used to sit at the kitchen table with her pads and pen. I’ll be eternally grateful. It’s amazing how many people don’t have that basic life skill. It’s a simple list of the money coming in and money going out. As long as you’ve got something left, that’s fine. That way lies stability and comfort. The other way lies instability, fear and worry."
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